He started off several years ago doodling geometric mazes during breaks from his bank job. He then decided to go in a more ambitious direction, turning the Roman Colosseum into a labyrinth.

"I started showing it to people, asking, 'Can you tell what it is?'??" he said. "They'd say, 'It's the Colosseum.' I said, 'OK, it works' So I tried a few more and really developed the art form."

He soon added landscapes, portraits and sports scenes to his portfolio. He posted some work online and attracted the attention of Minnesota toy manufacturer MindWare, which will publish two books of Haussler mazes later in the year.

Unlike some maze-makers, Haussler incorporates his passageways into a larger image.

His latest project begins with a view looking west from Shedd Aquarium in Chicago - a perspective that will move clockwise to capture the nearby Adler Planetarium and Field Museum before heading north through Grant Park toward Buckingham Fountain.

From there, the maze will head west into the Loop - although Haussler isn't sure where it will end.

"I would love to keep going as long as I can," he said, noting that his roll of paper is 1,000 feet long.

"We've got a long way until I hit Wisconsin."

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